


A Dark Chocolate With Raspberry Kinda Guy

by hoeunki



Category: HOTSHOT (Band), JBJ (Band), NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Cake, Eventual Romance, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Guanlin's a doofus when it comes to Seonho, M/M, but only slightly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-04-04 04:11:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14011911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeunki/pseuds/hoeunki
Summary: Seonho needs a fake fiancee to go sample wedding cakes with him. Guanlin just wanted to finish those essays.





	1. A Whisk I'm Willing To Take

**Author's Note:**

> a certain someone hasn't stopped bothering me since I drafted the idea for this fic in like, november or something because hey, who doesn't like a good, cliche fic trope. Anyway, I love and miss my byeongari sons so I've decided to drop the first chapter now and lets see how it goes.

Guanlin liked the autumn months. He liked wearing colorful beanies, long overcoats, and fluffy scarves that draped around his shoulders. He liked watching the leaves change colors and flutter to the ground so that he could step on them and hear those satisfying crunches. He liked sitting indoors, wrapped up in a cosy blanket with a nice cup of hot chocolate and maybe even a pumpkin spice latte if he was feeling extra adventurous.

It was currently the fall break of his senior year in college. He had assignments to catch up on and a bunch of essays that he had previously put off writing (playing basketball with his friends seemed like the better option at the time), so today he had grabbed his laptop and earphones and found a secluded part of the library to work.

He was halfway through his second essay when he decided to take a break. Guanlin pushed his laptop aside and leaned forward on his arms, sighing deeply. Most of his friends had gone home for the autumn holidays, and here he was, stuck doing work in a library. When he complained to his roommate, he had told him (through a mouthful of pizza) that it was all just a part of the College Experience. Guanlin sighed deeply and stared out the windows, watching as the leaves floated with the wind and got stuck in the hair of unsuspecting passersby. There was a pair of birds perched on one of the branches, wings touching. They looked awfully comfortable next to each other. Guanlin frowned. 

But before Guanlin could dwell on them further, there was a sudden tap on his shoulder. He turned, finding himself face to face with a boy with slightly lopsided glasses. He raised an eyebrow.

“Seonho? How did you find me here?” 

Seonho grinned, teeth showing in a slightly dopey smile. “I asked your roommate, duh. Plus, there aren’t a lot of people on campus these days so it was easy to track you down. Apparently it’s pretty hard to miss a 184cm Taiwanese boy walking around.”

Guanlin took a moment to glance at Seonho’s outfit, a taupe coat over a blue button-down and white pants. It was a strange divergence from his usual basketball shorts and T-shirt, which made Guanlin wonder if he had some fancy event to go to.

“So…” Guanlin said, suddenly noticing the awkward silence between them. Which was weird, because Seonho was never quiet with Guanlin. Or anyone, for that matter. He could talk for hours on end unless somebody gagged him or he fell asleep. “What’s with the get-up? You look...presentable...for once.” 

Seonho blinked, looking a bit surprised at the compliment. He scratched his head and glanced around. He looked down at his feet, and it might’ve been a trick of the bad lighting in the library, but Guanlin could’ve sworn there was a light dusting of pink on Seonho’s cheeks.

“..Right. I was was actually wondering if…” He trailed off for a bit before he took a deep breath and pushed his glasses up, staring straight at his friend. 

“Guanlin…” Seonho continued, shifting oddly from one foot to the other. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he looked uncharacteristically nervous.

Guanlin swallowed. If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought that Seonho was about to confess to him. Memories of awkward confessions and even more awkward rejections behind middle school libraries flashed through Guanlin’s mind, and he found himself getting uncomfortable at the image of Seonho in a skirt and ponytail. 

But surely, there was no way Seonho actually had any sort of feelings for him, right? Guanlin was aware of his relatively good looks, but he had never had any of his close friends (much less his  _ best _ friend) confess to him. He ran a hand through his hair, preparing for the most awkward conversation of his life. 

Guanlin was busy running through four different ways to reject Seonho when his friend did something that he was not, in any circumstances, expecting. 

He got down on one knee and pulled out a little box from his pocket, lifting the cover to reveal a silver band nestled in dark blue velvet. 

“Lai Guanlin, will you marry me?” 

Guanlin froze, all rational thought slipping from his mind.  _ Um. _

“...WHAT?”

\----------------------------

“It’s really not  _ that _ funny, Seonho.” 

Guanlin frowned at his friend, who was rolling on the grass, clutching his stomach and laughing madly. His outburst had gotten the both of them kicked out of the library, and Seonho had immediately burst into a fit of giggles. When Guanlin snatched the box out of his hands, a closer inspection had revealed that the ‘ring’ was just aluminum foil twisted delicately into the shape of one.

“You...seriously...thought...I was going to actually...propose…” Seonho choked out in wheezes. Guanlin rolled his eyes and started to walk away. Maybe if Seonho laughed hard enough, he would choke on his own spit. 

He was a good distance away until he heard panting and heavy footsteps following up behind him. 

“Guanlin! Wait!”

He slowed his pace until he was sure Seonho was a few steps behind him. Then he stopped abruptly and whirled around with folded arms, and for the second time in ten minutes, Seonho caught him off-guard. The slightly shorter boy was barreling towards him much faster than Guanlin had anticipated.

Seonho’s eyes widened and waved his arms in an attempt to stop himself, but unfortunately his clumsy legs had other plans. He crashed straight into Guanlin, sending them toppling onto the grass. 

Guanlin shut his eyes at the impact of his back against the ground and groaned at the weight on top of him. 

“Ow, ow…” he heard Seonho mutter. He opened his eyes, ready to scold Seonho, but the words died on his tongue. 

Seonho’s face was mere inches from his own, and for the first time in his life, Guanlin noticed how big Seonho’s eyes were--he could see his own bewildered reflection in Seonho’s irises. He also had  _ really _ long eyelashes that fluttered whenever he blinked. Seonho’s glasses started to slip off his face, and as if his arm was possessed, Guanlin lifted his hand and pushed the frames back onto the bridge of his nose. 

That one movement seemed to effectively snap Seonho out of whatever trance he was in, as he rolled quickly off of Guanlin and turned away, brushing the grass off his coat in hurried movements. Guanlin got up as well and checked his head for any injuries. He was lucky his scarf softened the fall, or he might’ve gotten a nasty bruise.

“Haha, sorry about that, hyung.” Seonho turned around to face him, cheeks red, and Guanlin chose to attribute the color to the chilly weather.

“Right,” Guanlin said, continuing on his walk as if nothing had happened. He let Seonho jog up to match his pace. “Care to explain the thing in the library?”

Seonho chuckled, slipping his hands into his coat pockets. “So you see, I got a letter in the mail today.”

“A letter?” A leaf fell onto Seonho’s shoulder and Guanlin absentmindedly plucked it off. 

“Mhmm. I know, kinda old-fashioned, right? But anyway, it was from my old high-school chem tutor. You remember Minhyun, right?”

Guanlin snorted. “You mean the hot college guy you were hopelessly in love with for three years? Yeah, I remember him.” He laughed as Seonho elbowed him in the ribs. 

“Shut up. Anyway, it was an invitation. He’s getting married to his boyfriend of seven years next week.”

_ Seven years,  _ Guanlin mused. That was indeed a pretty long time to be dating someone. It probably meant they were high-school sweethearts or something. Guanlin scratched his chin, contemplating the idea, but he didn’t think he had anyone to consider as a high-school sweetheart, having transferred in an awkward time when people weren’t very willing to let new kids into their carefully crafted friendship groups and cliques. 

“That’s nice and all, but I still don’t get how that has anything to do with this.” He held up the aluminium ring on his index finger.

Seonho grinned. It was a very mischievous grin, with the corners of his mouth upturned, and Guanlin started mentally debating whether or not to break off into a sprint and run far, far away from him. He had vowed a long time ago not to ever get involved in another Seonho Scheme™.

“Well, my dear Linlin. You wanna hear a fun fact?” he poked Guanlin in the stomach, and he flinched. “I bet you wanna hear a fun fact.”

Guanlin sighed, but before he could nod, Seonho continued. “Apparently, autumn is the most common time for people to get married.”

He paused, smiling proudly. Guanlin replayed the sentence in his head, not quite grasping what Seonho was getting at.

“So…?”

Seonho rolled his eyes exasperatedly. “You’re so dumb, hyung. Peak wedding season means…” 

“Increased prices for wedding dresses?” he guessed. He had definitely spent too much time on that one economics report.

“No!...I mean, yes...but that’s not relevant! I’m talking about wedding cake.”

He spoke with a shimmer in his eyes, the same shine he got whenever the lunch bell rang back in high school, or when Guanlin said he would treat him out for a snack.

“Peak wedding season means that there are a lot of cake shops expecting engaged couples to come in and taste wedding cakes. And I just so happen to have a cake craving, so-”

“You want me to be fake engaged to you so that you can eat a bunch of wedding cakes for free,” Guanlin finished. 

Seonho smiled brighter, slapping his palm against Guanlin’s back in a violent pat. “You are  _ so _ smart, Guanlin-hyung! So...what do you say?” 

He looked down at Seonho, who was clinging onto his arm and giving him googly eyes. Guanlin knew that rejecting Seonho would just lead to a week of him sulking and moping around like a big baby, which was always an unpleasant experience for everyone. Plus, free cake didn’t seem so bad. It also meant he didn’t have to work on all those essays. There really wasn’t any downside to the situation.

“Sure,” he answered, and Seonho burst into a grin so sunny, Guanlin thought he was blind for a solid three seconds. Pretending to be his best friend’s fiancee for one afternoon seemed simple enough, anyway.

_ Piece of cake, right? _


	2. Bready or Not

“I’m so, so happy you agreed to this, hyung,” Seonho said, as they walked down the street together towards their first destination. Apparently he had already done his research on the best wedding cake shops and bakeries around town, and he compiled a list of five with the best reviews. And  _ yes, Guanlin, I looked at more than one website, _ he had assured.

 

He shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t really that much of a big deal. In fact, it was more of a favor for him because it gave him an excuse to escape his responsibilities of being a Good College Student. Guanlin glanced down at his hand, where his ring caught a beam of sunlight and shimmered. After he had agreed to ‘marrying’ Seonho, the boy had dragged him to his dorm room, where he dug through his rich Chinese roommate’s jewelry collection to borrow the most expensive looking pair of rings they could find.

 

“You’re sure Justin wouldn’t mind us taking these two rings?” he asked.

 

Seonho held his hand up to the sun, admiring the matching ring that adorned his finger. “Yeah. He’s got so much money coming out of his ass anyway. He could easily buy a new pair that’s worth all our college debt combined.”

 

Guanlin let out a low whistle. “Wow.”

 

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the first cake shop, although Guanlin couldn’t really tell it was a cake shop at first glance. It was located in a little side street, with clumps of wires running along the sides of the buildings. The walls were old, some areas painted different shades of color, others a faded concrete. 

 

The shop itself sat under a pair of balconies that supported a few plants. Beside the main entrance was a door with a number six etched into the weathered wood. A sign was attached to it that read ‘HOTCAKES’ in multicolored paint.

 

“Hotcakes?” Guanlin read aloud, turning to Seonho. “Doesn’t really look like a place that sells wedding cakes to me.” 

 

Seonho pointed to a blackboard that was propped up on the wall. “No, see here it says ‘we’re NOT a pancake store.’” It wasn’t very convincing, but Seonho  _ had  _ done his research, so Guanlin couldn’t really say much.

 

The entrance was rather small, with green painted doors that were opened up and provided a nice burst of color to the otherwise drab white that was painted on the wall around it. They passed through a glass sliding screen and into the shop, where they were greeted by a fairly short man with a dangly silver earring hanging from his left ear. 

 

“Welcome to Hotcakes!” he greeted, which was followed by a mysterious chorus of “we’re NOT a pancake store!” somewhere behind him. 

 

The man hopped up onto a stool and folded his arms over the counter. “So how can I help you two?”

 

Seonho glanced at Guanlin, who gestured for him to talk. It was his idea in the first place, after all. Seonho took a breath and stepped forward, pulling Guanlin by the sleeve. 

 

“Well, my boyfriend and I recently got engaged! And we’re kinda in the middle of planning our wedding, so we decided to check out some of the famous cake shops around town.” 

 

Guanlin felt a weird tingle on the back of his neck at the word ‘boyfriend’. He managed a nod, but the man peered at them, unconvinced. 

 

“I dunno...you kids seem quite young to be getting married. How old are you, anyway?” 

 

Seonho shot a  _ help me _ look at Guanlin, but before he could say anything, another guy popped up, equally just as short as the first. He had blonde hair and a sunny smile that immediately lit up the atmosphere. He nudged first man lightly.

 

“Yikes, Taehyun, no need to get all bad cop on them.” he stuck a hand out for them to shake. “Nice to meet you! I’m Sungwoon.” 

 

“I’m Seonho!” Seonho replied immediately. There was a moment of silence before Seonho tugged on Guanlin’s sleeve again, and he belatedly realized that he was also supposed to introduce himself.

 

“Oh! Uh...Guanlin.” 

 

Seonho rolled his eyes but laughed exaggeratedly. “Don’t mind him, he’s a bit  _ reserved _ ,” he said, putting emphasis on the last word as if it were a bad thing.

 

Sungwoon stepped aside to usher them further into the store. “Well, why don’t we give you the grand tour? I love helping out young lovebirds.” He leaned in close to the two college students and cupped his mouth. 

 

“Taehyun and I were once like you two, but that was ages ago. Now he’s just a grumpy old man,” he whispered.

 

“I heard that,” Taehyun muttered, sliding off the stool and heading through a door next to a large shelf filled with little trinkets and pictures of him and Sungwoon, as well as four other guys. Close friends, Guanlin supposed. 

 

The door led into a large living space with various workspaces and tables. On the table closest to them sat a large, seven-tier cake that was in the middle of being decorated. A man with high cheekbones and wide shoulders stood on a ladder, sprinkling brown sugar onto the top layer. Guanlin recognised him as one of the people in the photos. 

 

The cake itself was beautiful, with each layer painted a different shade of turquoise and white. It was decorated with shells that looked incredibly realistic (he had to grab Seonho’s arm when he reached out to touch one) and waves painted onto the layers that made it look as if it had been lifted straight out of the ocean.

 

“Wow!” Seonho exclaimed, voicing Guanlin’s thoughts. “It looks so real!” 

 

Sungwoon smiled again, and Guanlin idly wondered how one could smile so much. “The idea behind our shop is that customers send in designs for their cakes, and we do our best to make their fantasies-”

 

“Become a reality!” A handsome man with light brown hair appeared out of nowhere, tossing confetti above their heads. Seonho caught a piece with his mouth, but he was quick to spit it out when he realized it wasn’t the edible kind.

 

Taehyun kicked him. “Yah! Go back to work, Hojeong. Don’t you have to finish painting that forest thing?” Hojeong stuck his tongue out and went back to his workspace, arms streaked with green and brown food coloring. 

 

They passed by a giant board with sketches and drawings pinned on it. Sticky notes were plastered everywhere and the trash bin sitting beside it had a mountain of scrunched up paper balls. There was a guy who was fluttering around the board in a swivel chair, making little notes and additions to the sketches. 

 

“So these are all the ideas that your customers send in?” Guanlin asked, and Sungwoon nodded. 

 

“You bet! Sanghyuk here takes care of figuring out what each part of the cake is made out of. Some people are really complex with their designs.”

 

Seonho’s eyes grew wide. “So, we could ask for  _ anything _ and you guys would make it? Like a giant cake that looks like a burger?”

 

Taehyun laughed. “Of course! You just need to have the money.” 

 

Seonho pouted, and Guanlin snickered. It sure was hard being a broke college student. Guanlin spotted a little icing butterfly and picked it up. 

 

“I mean, they look good and all, but how do they taste?” he asked, earning a gasp from Taehyun. 

 

“You  _ dare _ to question the flavor of our cakes?” he huffed, putting his hands on his hips. “Eat it.” He would have been intimidating, but Guanlin had a good head and a half of height over Taehyun.

 

Seonho looked at Guanlin excitedly, leaning forward with his mouth open. “Feed me, Guanlin.”

 

Guanlin hesitated, but he placed the butterfly into Seonho’s mouth, ignoring the weird feeling in his stomach that came with the brush of lips against his fingertips. Seonho chewed and his eyes widened, and he swallowed quickly, and Guanlin couldn’t help but follow the movement of his adam’s apple.

 

“It tastes really good!” he announced, and Taehyun nodded proudly. He gestured for them to follow him into the kitchen, where a tall man stood mixing a bowl of batter. 

 

“This is Junhyuk, our head baker.” Sungwoon wrapped an arm around his shoulders, but he had to tiptoe slightly. “We’re in charge of making everything taste as good as they look.”

 

He went on to explain the whole process of their clients choosing flavors (Seonho was excited because they allowed him to try different cake batters) and various icing and toppings. 

 

“Here, Guanlin.” Seonho held out a fork with a piece of vanilla cake on it. Guanlin opened his mouth, surprised at the way the back of his neck tingled again. He scratched at it. Odd. 

 

“So,” Taehyun said. “How do you like our store?”

 

“It’s great!” Seonho answered. “I think it’s really cool that we get to design our own cake and see it come to life.”

 

Sungwoon beamed. “Glad to hear it. Do you have any ideas in mind?”

 

Guanlin tilted his head. “For what?” 

 

Seonho elbowed him. “For  _ our  _ wedding cake, idiot.” 

 

_ Oh. Right. _

 

Seonho coughed and covered it up smoothly with a bright grin. “Well, I for one think it would be cute...if we had all of the big moments in our relationship painted onto a cake.”

 

Guanlin looked over at Seonho, but he didn’t return the eye contact. He continued talking.

 

“Like the first time we met.” 

 

_ It was two days after Guanlin had transferred into Seonho’s high school. He was playing basketball alone when Seonho had approached him, but he didn’t notice and ended up elbowing Seonho in the nose, giving him a massive nosebleed. Guanlin had to bring him to the nurse after that, and they quickly became friends.  _

 

“And when we met each other’s parents.” 

 

_ Seonho was the first to bring Guanlin to his house to play video games. His family was just as nice as he was, and they cooked really amazing food. They were always excited to have Guanlin over, and more than once referred to him as their adopted son. Guanlin, on the other hand, couldn’t really have Seonho meet his parents because they lived in Taipei. The first time he met them was when they visited during Chinese New Year to surprise Guanlin. They were really happy that Guanlin had made friends. _

 

“And...when we first kissed.” 

 

Seonho was looking down at his feet, and his fringe made it difficult for Guanlin to see his expression. Guanlin felt his own face heating up at the thought of kissing Seonho. Which again, was strange. He’d never thought about kissing his best friend before. So why was he getting so worked up?

 

Sungwoon squealed, clapping his hands together. “Look at them, Tae! They’re getting shy! Hold me, I can’t handle this cuteness.” he collapsed into Taehyun’s arms. 

 

Taehyun fanned him with a sheet of baking paper. “I actually think that’s a pretty good idea,” he said. “You should draft a sketch of how you want it to look and get back to us when you finalise all the details on your wedding. Oh and uh, congrats.” 

 

Guanlin smiled softly. “Thanks.” he grabbed Seonho’s sleeve. “Well, we better get going. Got a few more cake shops to hit up.”

 

Seonho stared up at Guanlin for a moment, not saying anything. Then he shook his head slightly and turned to wave at Sungwoon and Taehyun.

 

“Bye! Thanks for letting us try some of your cake!”

 

They laughed and waved back, and Sungwoon told them to come back anytime. When they were out of the store, Seonho giggled. “That was fun! I can’t wait to see the other four shops.”

 

Guanlin put his hands in his pockets and tried his best not to jump when Seonho suddenly clung onto his left arm. 

 

“Yeah, it was pretty cool, I guess. Oh, and good thinking with the whole cake idea. You’re a pretty quick thinker.” Guanlin was impressed with how convincing Seonho had sounded, almost as if he had given it a lot of thought. 

 

He felt Seonho tense for a moment, but as quickly as it came, the feeling was gone, swept away with the autumn wind. Seonho got quiet again, for the second time in one day. Guanlin pursed his lips. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well? He made a mental note to stop by a pharmacy on the way back to get some medicine for him. 

 

“So,” Guanlin said, unable to take the silence. “Where are we off to next?”

 

Seonho took his list out of his pocket, smoothing out the creases in the paper.

 

“MMO Bakery.”

 

“MMO? What does that stand for?” 

 

Seonho giggled mysteriously, back to his normal self. “You’ll see, Linlin. You’ll see.”


	3. At Yeast He's Trying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!! Finals are over and I'm just waiting to graduate now heheh. As a sorry-for-taking-so-long-to-update present, I made this chapter a bit longer :P

The sun had risen higher in the sky and more people appeared on the streets, bustling by to get their lunches. Seonho shifted closer to Guanlin so that he wouldn’t get lost in the mass of people.

Guanlin spotted a couple on a bench, sharing an ice cream. He watched the way the girl leaned into her boyfriend as he fed her the cherry on top and he suddenly remembered the feeling of Seonho’s arm pressing into his own as he fed the icing butterfly to him. He glanced down at said friend, who was checking the map on his phone. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and he pushed his glasses up every now and then, even though they weren’t falling off. It was strangely endearing. 

Wait, what?

Guanlin shook his head. Since when did he notice these things about Seonho and called them _ endearing _ ? He sighed. He was definitely getting too into this roleplay. 

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by Seonho, who had reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers together. Guanlin felt the cold metal of the ring press into his skin.

“Um…what are you doing?” His hands were warm. Seonho was usually clingy, so this wasn’t anything new. But today they had matching rings on, and Guanlin wasn’t sure what he’d do if someone from school saw them and jumped to conclusions. 

Not that he’d be totally upset, though. If they thought he and Seonho were a couple. Or maybe he would be? Guanlin frowned, slightly frustrated at his confused feelings. He didn’t realize the simple act of holding hands could make his head spin. 

Seonho glanced over. “Well, I figured we need to act a bit more couple-y to be more convincing. You need to call me pet names and stuff like that.” 

Guanlin blinked. “I don’t really do pet names.” What was he supposed to call Seonho?  _ Babe? _

Seonho pouted, his bottom lip jutting out. It was almost,  _ almost  _ cute. “Aw, Linlin. You’re no fun.”

They continued on walking, and Seonho gripped Guanlin’s hand tightly, as if loosening his hold would make Guanlin fly away. Guanlin readjusted the position of their fingers so that it fit more comfortably, and Seonho’s lips curled upwards in the softest of smiles.

\----------------------------

The MMO bakery was nothing like Guanlin had ever seen before. The entrance was a bright blue, a stark contrast to the red brick wall that surrounded it. There was colorful bunting that lined the windows and candy-cane striped curtains. A pair of chairs with pink cushions and a side table sat outside. It looked more like a toy store, if anything.

But while the exterior was definitely eye-catching, what really caught Guanlin’s attention was the name of the shop, written in simple black lettering.

“Man...My...Oven…” he read slowly, and Seonho snorted. It was definitely an...interesting name. It certainly piqued his interest, so he supposed it was good marketing. He wondered what kind of people handled such an eccentric-looking store, considering it was one of the supposedly best five cake shops in the whole town. 

As Seonho pushed the door open, Guanlin was met with the dulcet sounds of two people having a duet. For a moment, he thought it was a recording playing in the background but as they entered further, Guanlin noticed two men singing their lungs out from across the room. One of them had gray streaks in his hair and the other had his hair slicked back and wore two small earrings. 

The interior of the shop was just as bright as the outside, if not brighter. Another man with wide shoulders was sitting on the floor and playing with a toy train set. He was putting gummy bears on the carriages as they moved.

“Are we...in the right place?” Guanlin asked. Compared to the last store, this one was a thousand times louder. And weirder.

A paper airplane flew past their faces and the both of them took a step backwards. Following it was a tall man whose hands were covered in what seemed to be blue and silver glitter.

_ Yep. Definitely weirder. _

“Why, hello there!” A cheery voice said. Guanlin turned to see a man wearing a flower-printed apron and oven gloves to match. He approached them with a wide, friendly smile. 

“Welcome to the MMO Bakery, my sweethearts.” Seonho perked up at the word ‘sweethearts’ and Guanlin tried not to sigh. “Sorry about the mess, but we’re working on a bunch of big projects right now--Daniel! Don’t waste those gummy bears!”

Daniel, the wide-shouldered guy, smiled sheepishly as he removed the gummies and popped them into his mouth. “Sorry, Jisung-hyung. Just trying out a new idea for that kid’s birthday cake.”

“Wait, I thought you said this was a wedding cake shop?” Glancing around the shop properly, Guanlin couldn’t see any wedding cakes. The guy with the glittery hands was decorating something that looked suspiciously like a UFO. 

“It is!” Seonho insisted. “They also do cakes for all sorts of occasions.”

The man in the apron--Jisung, was it?--nodded affirmatively. “We specialize in themed stuff.” He gestured over to the giant UFO cake. “Taewoong’s doing an anniversary cake for some astronomy club.” 

“And the guys singing over there?” Guanlin pointed to the two, who had calmed down now and were working diligently at their stations. 

“Oh, Jaehan and Jinwoo just like to sing all the time,” Daniel chimed in. He had moved and was now sitting on a table and stirring a pot of melted sugar. “Spices up the atmosphere, or so they say.” Guanlin watched Daniel, highly amused as the older man accidentally dropped the spoon he was holding into the pot. He pouted in a childlike fashion before hopping off the counter in search for a new utensil.

Jisung grabbed his hand suddenly, and Guanlin turned to see warm brown eyes shimmering in excitement. “Did you say...wedding?”

Guanlin barely managed a nod before Jisung squealed and pulled the both of them in for a hug. The other four men continued on their business as if this were a normal occurrence, paying them no mind. When Jisung pulled back he was grinning so wide, Guanlin worried that his face might split into half. 

“Weddings are my  _ favorite  _ occasions,” Jisung said, leaning against the counter. “Our most recent one was Daniel’s wedding, and that cake was just  _ adorable _ .”

He herded them in his arms gently, as you would do with baby chicks, towards a picture frame that was mounted on the wall. In the photo were two men wearing white tuxedos and matching purple silk ties, standing by a triple layered cake that had a waterfall of pastel rainbow cats running down the sides. It was quirky yet refined at the same time.

“Whoa! Daniel's husband is really handsome!” Seonho exclaimed. Peering closer, Guanlin spotted a constellation of three moles on his cheek. He was smiling cheekily, an arm looped around Daniel’s waist. 

“Seongwoo wanted a giant rainbow cake shaped like a dick, but I managed to convince him otherwise.” Jisung smiled fondly at the memory. 

Daniel chuckled behind them. “It would’ve been hilarious!” 

“Your mother would've fainted,” Jisung retorted.  “But never mind that, kids! Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” He ushered them towards another room, a kitchen with messy countertops and unwashed bowls littering the sink. Jisung gestured for the two of them to take a seat on the barstools as he pulled out a massive black portfolio from a shelf of books. Shuffling around to the other side of the kitchen island, Jisung slid the file towards Guanlin.

“This is Step One,” Jisung said, with a seriousness to his tone. He said it as if it meant something, but Guanlin couldn’t quite decipher it. He gingerly flipped the folder open, slightly worried that Jisung would yell at him if he manhandled it. The first page was a magazine clipping, pictures of various wedding cakes and wedding decorations. On the next page was a recipe for buttercream icing and a step-by-step on piping techniques. As Guanlin flipped through more pages, he came across more pictures and sketches of wedding cakes, some traditional, others modern. It was like scrolling through a Pinterest board dedicated to wedding preparations. Seonho kept pointing to ones that he found pretty, oohing and aahing as Guanlin kept turning. 

“What exactly is this?” he asked, and Jisung nodded, clearly having anticipated the question.

He rolled up his sleeves and pulled up another stool, folding his arms across the granite counter. “When I was a kid, it was my dream to become a wedding planner. I used to have a little book of wedding ideas and themes. My mom was a baker so I would always loiter in the kitchen and watch her, and soon I realized that I had a real talent for baking cakes.” It seemed as though he had told this story many times. “So when I graduated culinary school, I decided to open up a bakery. With Taewoong. We took the other three under our wings a bit later.” 

“But what is this ‘Step One’ you were talking about?” Seonho asked. 

Daniel shuffled by, chewing on another pack of gummies. “Jisung-hyung has a whole process of making wedding cakes for people. The first one is what he’s doing now, showing you the portfolio and telling you his origin story,” he explained. He tossed the now empty packet into the bin and took a seat next to Jisung. 

“The next step is where we ask you a couple of questions.” He whipped out a notepad and a pen, hand poised to scribble something down. 

“B-but...I just wanted to taste some cake,” Seonho whined. Guanlin reached over and gave him a little pat on his thigh. 

“Cake tasting is Step Three. We have to ask these questions so that we can get a vibe for what kind of cake to make for you. A wedding cake is so important, you know? It’s a part of your big day! It’s a part of your  _ soul _ ,” Jisung placed a hand over his heart, dramatically staring off into the distance. 

Guanlin tapped his chin, wondering what sort of questions they were going to ask. Probably very standard ones, he supposed. When did they meet, who proposed, that kind of stuff. Guanlin could deal with that. 

“Okay! Daniel chirped. “Question one. What are your names?”

“Yoo Seonho and Lai Guanlin,” they answered in unison. Seonho turned to Guanlin and laughed. 

“Good!” Jisung said, clapping his hands together. “So you already know the order of your names to put for wedding invitations, I see. I like a prepared couple.”

Guanlin blinked.  _ Well then. _

“Question two,” Daniel continued. “When did you meet?”

“High school,” Seonho instantly replied. “Linlin transferred in the first semester of our second year and he elbowed me in the face.” 

Daniel nodded, diligently recording Seonho’s words onto the paper. Guanlin failed to see any context in which this information would be even remotely relevant.

“Who proposed, and when?” 

Seonho nudged Guanlin’s leg. It was his turn to speak, apparently. 

“I did,” Guanlin lied, and felt a twinge of guilt at seeing the delighted expression on Jisung’s face. “I took him on a date by the seaside and did it very simply during sunset. I'm...not a fancy dude or anything.” 

Daniel nodded vehemently, muttering the words ‘not a fancy dude’ repeatedly under his breath. 

The rest of the interview (although Guanlin thought it more of an interrogation) carried on smoothly, Guanlin delivering all of the answers that Seonho had prepared for him beforehand. Jisung was exceptionally happy when Guanlin said that his favorite thing about Seonho was his bubbly and affectionate personality. 

“My favorite thing about Guanlinnie is his smile,” Seonho said at one point. “You can see all of his gums when he smiles and it's very cute.”

There was something in his voice that made Guanlin realize that he wasn't lying, and he felt a blush creeping up his neck.

“Okay!” Daniel exclaimed, closing his notebook. “We just have one more question to ask you and then we'll move on to talking flavors and icing.”

Seonho grinned. “Lay it on us.” Guanlin sat up straighter. He had aced all of the previous questions, and he was ready to get this over and done with. It felt like a game, almost. 

“Can you do something first?” Jisung asked. “I want you two to hold hands.”

Guanlin looked over at Seonho, who shrugged and nonchalantly slipped their fingers together. Guanlin swallowed. They've done this before. Nothing new. No big deal. Jisung cleared his throat, and Daniel smiled warmly at them. Jisung then proceeded to ask them a question harder than Guanlin had ever received in any of his college acceptance tests. 

“When did you first realize that you were in love?”

Guanlin froze. He felt Seonho tense beside him, and when he looked over he saw Seonho contemplating the question very seriously. Guanlin looked down at his lap, silently praying for some answer to manifest in his mind that he could pass off as believable. But as his desperation increased, the more he found himself with no story, no lie, no anything. 

He was stumped. 

“It's a hard one, I know. Seongwoo and I sat here for a long time thinking of our answers.” Guanlin could barely focus on Daniel's voice, too occupied with his own thoughts.

How were they supposed answer the question if they weren't in love? 

“I…”

“We were in the library after school,” Seonho intercepted. “It was in our senior year, a few months before we graduated.”

He was speaking very calmly, although Guanlin could feel the stiffness in his hand. 

“I accidentally took a nap while we were studying, and when I woke up, Guanlin's jacket was around my shoulders.”

Guanlin remembered that afternoon. They had been studying for exams, and Guanlin put his jacket on Seonho when when he left to go get a book because he thought his friend would be cold. They were sitting under the air conditioning, and Guanlin had noticed that Seonho kept shivering.

“When I looked up, he was staring out the window. Just daydreaming. But he looked so...handsome.”

Seonho paused, shifting in his chair. His voice grew soft. 

“I think that's when I knew.”

A silence settled over them, palpable and almost suffocating. Guanlin swallowed with much difficulty, his throat constricting as he tried to digest Seonho’s confession. 

His best friend had just admitted that he was in love with him. But he wasn't telling the truth, was he? It was hard to tell.

A part of Guanlin hoped that he was lying, just so that he wouldn't have to deal with the awkwardness of confronting his feelings. But there was another part of him, one that was fighting for dominance in his internal struggle of emotions, one that...wasn't totally opposed to Seonho's affections. 

He could do this. Deep breaths, in and out. 

“I realized it a lot later than Seonho,” he said, willing himself not to stutter. “Of course I fell in love somewhere along the way, but...the first time I really,  _ truly _ knew for myself was when...I proposed to him.” 

Seonho had already released his hand. Guanlin didn't dare to turn his head to face him so it was difficult to gauge a reaction. 

“Seeing him smiling, with the wind in his hair and stars in his eyes...I knew for sure that I had made the right decision.”

Guanlin lifted his head, his cheeks burning. Daniel was chewing intently on his pencil, deep in thought, and Jisung's eyes were shimmering. 

“That's...beautiful!” Jisung cried, leaning on Daniel's shoulder as the other man handed him a tissue. Daniel scribbled more notes on his pad of paper before flipping the cover shut.

Jisung reached for both Guanlin and Seonho’s hands. “I'm so happy for you two,” he told them seriously, and Guanlin felt that twinge of guilt again. He was going through all this emotional stress just so that Seonho could cake.

_ Just so you can see that cute smile of his more often,  _ his mind supplied helpfully. Guanlin swallowed. He was just doing this to be a good friend. Because he needed a break from doing work. Not because he wanted to spend even more time with the person that he saw more often than his family.

That would just be ridiculous.

The rest of the hour was a blur as Jisung let them wander around shop and taste some cake and frosting. He trailed silently behind Seonho, nodding on occasion as Jisung or one of the other men explained something to him or offered him a bite. 

As they left the MMO Bakery with kisses from Jisung and congratulatory packets of gummy worms from Daniel, Guanlin noticed that Seonho had put a little distance between them.

Guanlin tore open the candy packet and tried to seem casual.  “Hey, Seonho.”

“...Mm?”

“Did you...mean what you said? About the library?” 

Seonho kicked at a pebble, and it clattered noisily against the cement. “Of course not.” 

The nonchalance in his tone relieved Guanlin, but as the relief faded, a strange feeling of disappointment set in. Of course Seonho wasn't in love with him. Why was he expecting anything else?

“I mean, you're handsome all right. Just...not my type. It would take a lot more than you putting a jacket over my shoulders to make me fall for you.” 

Seonho grinned and nudged Guanlin's side. “Why? Did I get your hopes up?” 

Guanlin rolled his eyes and gave him a gentle shove, trying to ignore the flutter in his stomach. “You wish.”

And if Guanlin hadn't turned away so soon, he might've seen the way Seonho’s gaze faltered and how his smile fell as he mumbled ever so softly,

“Yeah. I do.”


End file.
